Past and Present: Marina Bay Street Circuit
You may know the Marina Bay Street Circuit today as the glitzy crown jewel of Formula1 situated in the heart of downtown Singapore, surrounded by iconic heritage buildings, modern architecture and a stunning skyline. But did you know that prior to Singapore’s urban transformation, large parts of the track did not exist at all?
Back in the day, the Marina Bay area was just a waterfront serving as a docking point for ships that were too large to enter the Singapore River. In the 1970s, parts of the Marina Bay was reclaimed, as the land was necessary for Singapore’s development.
Today, while the reclaimed parts of the Marina Bay Street Circuit date back to the 1970s, the oldest areas of the circuit are more than 100 years old. The circuit park for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix spans 799,000sqm – that’s the size of 80 soccer fields!
Take a look at how the home of Formula 1 night racing has developed over the years.
Nearly three-quarters of track is on reclaimed land. This 1862 map of Singapore.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
Town shows the waterfront has been extended far beyond and developed into the present-day Marina Bay district.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
More modern buildings and taller skyscrapers pepper the iconic Singapore skyline today.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
360 hectares of land was reclaimed to create the stunning city skyline we see today.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
Before the land reclamation project in 1971, ships would dock at the waterfront near the Padang. Goods were loaded onto bumboats for transfer to warehouses along the Singapore River. Today, five train stations serve the circuit park.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
Bridging the old and new – Built in 1910, Anderson Bridge is one of two vehicular bridges that make up part of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Image credit for the left: US Library of Congress
Who would have thought that F1 cars would pass this very site some 131 years later? In 1890, rickshaws would pass the Hotel de L'Europe, now the site of the National Gallery Singapore.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
Same same but different. Some 80 years after this photo was taken, the Old Supreme Court and City Hall have been converted into the National Gallery Singapore.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
The Padang has witnessed many major historical events. Since 2008, this site has also seen about 65,000 fans gathering annually to watch world class artistes such as Rihanna, Bon Jovi, The Killers, Muse, Imagine Dragons, Ariana Grande, Linkin Park and Mariah Carey on stage over the race weekend.
Image credit for the left: National Archives of Singapore
The Padang has been welcoming visitors to relax on the grassy field since the 1900s. Over the F1 race weekend, the site is transformed into a concert arena complete with a wide variety of food offerings and other recreational activities.